- Latest data shows record numbers of doctors, nurses and staff working in the NHS.
- On top of 4,000 new GP trainees and 21,000 more primary care staff
- Government on track to deliver on commitment for 50,000 more nurses by 2024, with over 32,000 more nurses working in NHS hospitals and in general practice
A record number of doctors and nurses are working in the NHS in England, delivering extra appointments, speeding up diagnoses and helping to tackle the COVID backlog.
Locally the latest data published by NHS Digital show there are 422 more doctors and over 1800 more nurses working in North West NHS hospitals compared to September 2021.
This is against a backdrop of 4,000 more doctors and over 9,300 nurses UK wide compared with last year.
There are also almost 1.24 million full-time equivalent staff working in NHS trusts and commissioning bodies in England – over 34,000 more people compared to a year ago which is up by nearly 3%.
Commenting on the figures Burnley and Padiham MP Antony Higginbotham who has been calling for more front-line healthcare staff said:
I've been banging the drum to further improve healthcare in Burnley and Padiham since I was elected - particularly to improve access to GP services. And so these figures are a step in the right direction.
Alongside the extra £6.6 billion committed to the NHS by the Chancellor last month we are seeing the number of doctors and nurses on the rise, which is what we all want to see.
That’s important as it will allow us to reduce waiting times, tackle the covid backlog and enable residents to get the treatment they need as and when they need it.
I'll keep doing what I can to drive further increases in primary care staff, including expanding the medical school we now have right here in Burnley through the UCLan campus, and the new facilities they are opening thanks to our successful Levelling Up Fund bid.
Since 2010, there are now over 34,170 more doctors and over 44,820 more nurses working in the NHS.
According to the latest figures from Health Education England 4,000 new trainee doctors have also accepted GP training placements – hitting the government’s target for GP specialty trainee recruitment for the fifth year running
There are also now more than 21,000 more primary care staff supporting patients – including nurses and pharmacists – since September 2019 and the government is on track to meet its target of 26,000 additional staff by March 2024.
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said:
Supporting the workforce is one of my immediate priorities and we are making significant progress in training and recruiting a record number of nurses, doctors and healthcare professionals. There are almost 4,000 more doctors and over 9,000 more nurses in the NHS than last year.
I want to thank all our brilliant NHS staff who work tirelessly to look after us and our loved ones and continue to inspire future generations to join this rewarding career.
We’re building a stronger, healthier NHS for the long-term to give people the security of knowing that it will be there for them when they need it.
The government remains on track to deliver on its commitment to recruit 50,000 more nurses by 2024, with over 32,000 more nurses in September 2022 compared with September 2019.
In the Autumn Statement the government committed to publishing a comprehensive workforce strategy next year to recruit and retain more staff, with independently verified forecasts for the number of doctors, nurses and other professionals that will be needed in 5, 10 and 15 years’ time.
This will mean more patients will be able to access the services they need, when they need it.
